


A Shell of Lies

by gaifieri



Category: Drunks and Dragons (Podcast)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-10 02:44:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18929686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaifieri/pseuds/gaifieri
Summary: Truths kept hidden will always catch up to you.





	A Shell of Lies

Jaela’s eyes were shut tight, her mind spun as her thoughts sprinted from excuses to lies to half-truths, trying to come up with something to say, something believable, something that wouldn’t hurt.

“Please, look at me.”

As Aludra commanded, Jaela’s eyes sprung open, hot and stinging and pained by what they saw. The love of her life sat across from her, face contorted by betrayal. It was the face of a woman who deserved more than she could ever give her; the face of a woman who deserved the truth. She couldn’t keep looking, nor could she turn away. She could only whimper out a reply.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...I didn’t know what to say, _how_ to say it...” She stopped to raise her hand and cover the trembling of her face. “I’m sorry,” she continued “I should have told you…”

A small dwarven hand slammed against the table between them. Aludra’s palm was flat, still, unwavering against the wood that trembled beneath it. “ _Why_ , Jaela? What did I do wrong? Answer me!”

Jaela grabbed the hand in front of her and gripped it, tighter than she had ever gripped her halbert or Blood Drinker. She focused on pouring all of the love and adoration she could into her grasp.

“You did nothing wrong! It’s not you, I swear to Uthgar and the Raven Queen and Erathis, to any god, I swear, it has nothing to do with you. Baby, please, _please_ believe me.”

Aludra glanced down at the hand that sat on top of hers, confusion clear on her face.

“How can you say it’s not about me, Jaela? How can you say that when you won’t even...” Aludra trailed off and her eyes wandered to what sat on the floor beside them: it was a bin of trash, taken from Jaela’s side of their shared quarters. The contents made Jaela’s stomach churn, and by the look on Aludra’s face, it was equally unsettling to her.

The grip on Aludra’s hand tightened more. “I know that it looks bad,” Jaela said, “but please listen to me...it’s not what it seems.”

Slowly, Aludra’s hand pulled away from the table. “I don’t think I can do this right now.” The chair cried out as it was dragged across the polished marble floor, and Jaela felt as if it was her own heart crying out. She had made enough mistakes to get here, but the biggest one would be to let Aludra walk away. She had to come clean.

Jaela stood up, pointed herself forward like a spear, and lunged herself across the room like a diver jumping into the deep end. She left her arms sprawled out until she reached Aludra, then she clasped them around her in an iron grip. They both tumbled forward onto the floor and Aludra squirmed, cried out, and demanded to be let go.

“Aludra,” Jaela nearly shouted into her wife’s ear, “I LOVE your boob burritos!”

Aludra’s squirming paused and she grew silent. Jaela couldn’t imagine how confused she must be feeling now; only moments ago, they were both staring at the trash bin across the room from them, a trash can filled with boob burritos that Jaela had placed there herself. She would never expect Aludra to forgive such a betrayal, but she had to try.

“I love your boob burritos, I love them almost as much as I love you and Buckster,” Jaela said.

Aludra began to wriggle once more, but this time Jaela gave her lease to turn over; Jaela was now on all fours, guarding Aludra with every limb. Aludra laid on the floor, looking up at her, her voice quiet when she spoke.

“Then why did you throw them all away?”

Jaela thought she heard a crack in Aludra’s voice; it deepened the crack she felt in her heart. “I have to tell you something,” she said.

Aludra’s eyes were filled with anticipation, they begged Jaela for some answer that would fix all of this, reverse all of the hurt they had caused each other. Jaela hoped with her honesty, she could at least begin to repair some of the damage.

“I’m…” Jaela paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “I’m gluten intolerant!”

Her eyes still closed, she listened to the silence between them. There was no noise, no reaction from Aludra yet. So she continued. She blurt it all out while she still had the courage.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you earlier but -- I’ve been experiencing symptoms for awhile, I feel so bloated and I get the worst shits after eating your boob buritos -- I know, that’s disgusting, I’m so sorry, baby -- you remember the time at The Floating Tankard someone blew UP that bathroom and we blamed it on Harper? That was one hundred percent me and I have never forgiven myself. I was getting headaches, I was always tired -- and then when I left for the diplomatic mission to Glaine, the Jewel of the East, I didn’t eat any burritos and I suddenly felt better -- I felt horrible because I was away from you but my body felt great -- and I realized what it was! _Gluten!_ And I didn’t know how to tell you because how could I tell you, my beautiful lady with her beautiful boobies and her beautiful boobies' burritos -- and Deephome just isn’t _there_ yet with their gluten free options -- and --"

Jeala felt two fingers press against her lips and pinch them together. Her eyes popped open and she saw her radiant wife smiling up at her, eyes watering and mouth quivering. Tears formed at the corners of Jaela’s eyes as she smiled around Aludra’s two fingers.

Aludra pulled her face down and kissed the top of her forehead. Jaela stayed there, her face pressed against Aludra’s and basked in her radiance, her warmth, the depth of her forgiveness. Aludra shifted, her arm moved, and softly, she called out her wife’s name. Jaela pulled away, not too far, just far enough to see that Aludra was extracting something from between her breasts.

Jaela gasped. “Aludra -- is that…”

What she held had a golden base made from a flattened corn shell; it was topped with all the essentials: beans, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, onions, salsa, and pork. Aludra held the dish between the two of them and beamed.

“The shell is 100% corn flour.”

The tears in her eyes streamed down Jaela’s face now. She cried at Aludra’s empathy, she cried at her own stupidity for thinking she needed to lie, she cried at the beauty of the tostada in front of her. She looked down into Aludra’s eyes and saw her own foolish reflection, but it was quickly erased by the love pouring from Aludra’s expression.

Jaela leaned down, towards the woman she loved. Her lips met the tostada at the same time as Aludra’s did. The dish towered nearly an inch and a half high, but they each managed to get a strong bite into it. The shell snapped between her teeth the way her relationship had almost snapped between her lies, and she swore to herself to never keep a secret from her love again.


End file.
